As NAFTA talks resumed in Washington today, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said U.S. President Donald Trump could do serious damage to Canada if he carries out threats to impose import taxes on Canadian-made autos. Speaking to a Winnipeg radio station, the PM maintained that Canada will only sign a NAFTA deal that is in this country’s interests. He also warned such tariffs would backfire and hurt the American economy as well. (Steven Chase and Alexandra Posadzki, for subscribers)

Trump has threatened to slap hefty tariffs on Canadian auto parts and vehicles assembled in Canada if it does not sign on to the deal the U.S. reached with Mexico last month. The key sticking points are U.S. access to Canada’s dairy market and the Chapter 19 dispute resolution mechanism.

But there are other key measures of a deal, Campbell Clark writes. “For starters, there’s the question of whether it provides lasting trade peace. Mr. Trump, after all, has used tariffs imposed on national security grounds, under section 232 of the U.S. Trade Expansion Act, to browbeat Canada, Mexico and others to renegotiate trade deals. He overtly threatened more devastating tariffs as a pressure tactic. So if Canada agrees to a new, updated NAFTA, will he be able to do that again, any time he wants?” (for subscribers)

Following a court ruling yesterday that Doug Ford’s bid to cut the Toronto city council to 25 wards from 47 was unconstitutional, the Ontario Premier says he will call back the legislature tomorrow to debate the government’s intention to use the notwithstanding clause to overrule that finding. He said he will also appeal the ruling.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called Ontario’s notwithstanding clause bid disappointing, but the federal government will not try to stop it.

Toronto Mayor John Tory vowed to fight the province’s appeal in the courts. He said using the notwithstanding clause would be a “gross overreach,” and akin to “using a sledgehammer on a fly.” (Justin Giovannetti and Jeff Gray)

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“Legislators with any backbone at all should vote against it,” Marcus Gee writes. “Whether or not they think the judge was offside when he ruled the council law invalid, this is an outrageous abuse of the override power.” (for subscribers)

“The Premier seems to think his mandate entitles him to do whatever he pleases and any opposition is illegitimate," writes Carissima Mathen, a law professor at the University of Ottawa. "He suggests there is something wrong with judges overriding democratic decisions – even when those decisions are found to violate the Constitution. To be sure, many governments have expressed frustration with court decisions. But it is virtually unheard of for a Canadian political leader to appear to question the idea that we are a nation of laws.”

Where does this leave Toronto voters, who are set to go to the polls Oct. 22? Check out our guide.

‘This storm is a monster’: Hurricane Florence closes in on Carolinas as mass evacuations ordered

The powerful Hurricane Florence threatened to bring “days and days” of rain and potentially deadly flooding to the U.S. southeast coast, North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper warned today, as about 1.7 million people were ordered to evacuate their homes. The storm threatened to hit the Carolinas' coast with 210-kilometre-an-hour winds and massive waves when it makes landfall on Friday, and its rains will take a heavy toll for miles inland, the National Hurricane Center in Miami warned. “This storm is a monster,” Cooper said.

Starting Nov. 1, Bank of Nova Scotia will no longer use the non-profit Ombudsman for Banking Services and Investments (OBSI) to settle its clients' banking complaints, although OBSI will still oversee complaints about investments, James Bradshaw writes. Scotiabank joins Royal Bank of Canada and Toronto-Dominion Bank in turning to for-profit ADR Chambers Banking Ombuds Office to mediate customer complaints. The splintered system for solving disputes is raising questions about whether the use of for-profit firms could tilt the process in banks' favour. (for subscribers)

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MARKET WATCH

Canada’s main stock index erased early losses, finishing higher on the day despite a small decline in energy stocks. The S&P/TSX composite index rose 37.16 points to 16,094.25.

Wall Street stocks were able to shake off concerns over the trade dispute between Washington and Beijing and move higher. The benchmark S&P 500 stock index still on pace to deliver what once seemed improbable: a seventh year of double-digit percentage gains over the past decade. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 113.99 points to 25,971.06, the S&P 500 gained 10.76 points to close at 2,887.89 and the Nasdaq Composite ended at to 7,972.47, 48.31 points higher.

Lightning strikes twice: A Winnipeg man has won a $2-million lottery prize - five months after he won $1.5-million. Melhig Melhig's first win came in April with a scratch ticket bought at a convenience store. He then moved his family out of their small apartment and into a new home. He continued to play the lottery and bought another scratch ticket in August. He says he now plans to buy a business, such as a gas station or car wash, and go back to school.

TALKING POINTS

Gander is the place that symbolizes the true Canada-U.S. relationship

"Forget what you read about NAFTA negotiations and Twitter wars, that’s not who we are. Sure, it’s business, and it’s important, but Gander is the place that – in a snapshot – illustrates the Canada-U.S. relationship. A friend in need really is a friend indeed. We’ve all been told that you Newfoundlanders live it every day. That’s what makes my countrymen stop and pause when they’re told about that awful day 17 years ago – you people are used to rescuing people in need. You do it every day." - U.S. Ambassador to Canada Kelly Craft, adapted from a speech given at a 9/11 memorial service in Newfoundland

Only Parliament can fix Canada’s pipeline impasse

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"Even though the courts repeat that the right to be consulted does not entail a veto, the legal process as it has evolved effectively confers a veto power on small numbers of holdout First Nations. Ironically, that veto power damages not only the Canadian economy but many First Nations organizations who want economic development to raise their people’s standard of living. The courts have boxed themselves in, and only Parliament can break the gridlock." - Tom Flanagan, professor emeritus of political science at the University of Calgary

Decriminalization is one powerful force to ease the overdose crisis

“Most people who use drugs don’t have a drug problem. Rather, they have a fear of prosecution problem. When possession of drugs is a crime, it creates giant barriers to harm reduction and treatment. First and foremost, it means drugs will be supplied by criminals, and the supply will be unregulated, potentially unsafe and over-priced. This, in turn, means more overdoses, more deaths and more hospitalizations.” - André Picard

LIVING BETTER

Sometimes you need to impress right after a long flight touches down: You’re headed to a meeting or maybe a long-distance love is waiting on the other end. The Globe's travel editor Domini Clark offers these tips for how to look good getting off a plane: Drink water - a lot of water. Experts recommend eight ounces for every hour you’re in the air. To keep skin looking fresh, head to duty-free before boarding and "sample" the richest facial moisturizer you can find. Do what it takes to wake yourself up and get excited: Listen to favourite songs, have a coffee before landing – whatever gets your endorphins flowing and blood pumping.

LONG READS FOR A LONG COMMUTE

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Co-ownership on the rise as buyers look to enter expensive housing markets

When Shannon Beattie moved into her stately cul-de-sac neighbourhood in Niagara Falls with two other women, her suburban neighbours were wondering what was up. It’s not generally the kind of area where you have roommates. Salmaan Farooqui writes. But they aren’t quite roommates: Ms. Beattie is co-owning the home with a long-time friend and renting out their basement. Thanks to the living situation, she ends up paying $500 a month and gets much more space than her one-bedroom apartment in Toronto, which cost five times as much.

Co-owning is an idea that is starting to catch on as housing prices get further out of reach for new home buyers. Real estate agents and mortgage lenders say they’re seeing more people interested in the idea of splitting a mortgage among two or more people – but they do say that the living arrangement doesn’t work for everybody.

Rare corpse flower plant to bloom at Toronto Zoo years ahead of schedule

A plant that can take about a decade to produce a flower that emits a scent akin to rotting flesh is set to bloom this week at the Toronto Zoo – years ahead of schedule. The corpse flower, a native of Indonesia, will bloom for just eight to 36 hours sometime this week, said the zoo’s curatorial gardener Paul Gellatly, noting that when in full bloom, the plant produces one of the largest and smelliest flowers in the world. The plant at the zoo is only five years old, but has shown signs of flowering despite its young age.

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